Atheists sue IRS over treatment of churches

'The unfairness of this is so overwhelming'

Published: 01/14/2013 at 2:42 PM

(CHRISTIAN NEWS) — Madison, Wisconsin – An atheist activist group from Wisconsin has filed a third lawsuit against the IRS, this time alleging that the federal tax organization is wrongfully engaging in a practice of “preferential treatment of churches.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) states that its main concern is that the organization has had to pay hundreds of dollars to apply for tax-exempt status, while the IRS waives the fee for churches. It also asserts that the IRS unfairly exempts churches from completing Form 990 every year, while FFRF must still file the “onerous” document.

In its complaint, FFRF bemoaned that the organization is required to submit “detailed, intrusive, and expensive annual reports to maintain tax-exempt status, but such reports are not required for churches and certain other affiliated religious organizations.”